


Endgame

by FrozenSnares



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, American Football, Cuddling, F/M, Kissing, Rain, Reunions, Swearing, because i know so much about the sport, note the sarcasm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 12:57:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8162750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenSnares/pseuds/FrozenSnares
Summary: Shireen has never much been into sports, and she certainly is no longer mooning after her high school crush. So when Rickon Stark is in town for a football game, she definitely isn’t going. And she definitely isn’t going just to see him again.Written for Day 5 of Rickeen Shipweek—Prompt: Rain





	

**Author's Note:**

> [Picset](http://frozensnares.tumblr.com/post/151102038620/endgame-shireen-has-never-much-been-into-sports)

Sighing loudly, Shireen pulled the blanket up higher. She was thoroughly tucked in tonight, her feet buried somewhere beneath her with her laptop providing some extra warmth. The nights had been getting steadily colder, which meant that she was getting excessively lazier. It was only a few weeks into the quarter, but Shireen had tossed her books aside in favor of the many wonders of the internet. She would get back to studying later. Laughing to herself, Shireen dug out her hands to send the link of a comic to her cousin, thinking that maybe she could catch her for a video chat.

“I come bearing food!” Beth called from the door. The door slammed behind her, followed by the crinkling of a plastic bag.

Shireen quickly tossed off the blanket, pulling on a hoodie and walking out to the main room. “What's on the menu?” she asked, going to grab drinks from the fridge. “Something amazing from the smell of it.”

Beth smacked Shireen's hand away from tearing the bags to get at the food. She liked to keep the bags to use later, but Shireen still stuck her tongue out at her. “You think anything you didn't cook is amazing,” Beth pointed out. “Which I understand, given how you've been eating.”

“Quinoa's healthy!” Shireen protested, retreating behind her drink as Beth served her.

The resulting scoff was almost more of a snort. “Not for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every fucking day of the week,” Beth shot back. She scooped out portions of Dornish food evenly between the two of them, settling back in her chair. “Someone might think you're a vegetarian until they see you swallow a steak whole.”

“I do not!” Shireen said, sliding a fork over to Beth.

“You would if you ever ordered one that fit in your mouth,” Beth retorted, sticking her tongue out at Shireen. She twirled the fork around before stabbing at her food and shoving it in her mouth.

Shireen almost responded, but she dug into her food the same as Beth, enjoying the meal. As she ate, she pulled out her phone and set it on the table. Shireen absently scrolled through Facebook, reading what everyone was up to now that the weather was turning. A good majority of her friends were from post-high school requests: generic attempts to keep in touch that never followed through. Shireen knew that it was supposed to be an effort at networking, but she still refused to accept any of the requests from people who had been particularly horrible to her.

“You know what would make this meal a lot better?” Beth asked no one, standing up and moving to the kitchen. “Wine.”

Laughing, Shireen shook her head before returning back to Facebook. She scrolled past a status before, pulling the screen back down.

_Thank the gods for the opportunity to play at Direwolf Stadium. Come check out the game on Friday!_

Shireen blinked at the status before glancing up to the name. Rickon Stark. Giggling, she tapped the _like_ button, idling on the status.

She easily remembered Rickon. He was one of the louder freshmen, not typically fazed by most things. They had a few encounters in the hallways, mostly brief smiles and waves. One memory was blaring out in her mind, though. She was shoved aside by some other jocks at school, and most of her things spilled to the ground. While she just sighed and went to retrieve her things, another pair of shoes stopped in front of her before Rickon was on his knees helping her out. He never said anything. He just stacked up her papers neatly before handing them back with a smile, but after that he always greeted her by name whenever they crossed paths.

Shireen felt herself blushing, and she started to consider going to the game just to see him again. After all, Direwolf Stadium was _her_ team's home field. She had stayed and gone to the University of Winterfell, and he had gone somewhere else. Curiously, she tapped on his name, figuring out where he was now. Reading through his page, she found out that he was now at Skagos University, still playing football, and looking just as wild as she remembered him. She navigated back to his status, wondering if she should leave a comment.

“Who's that?” Beth asked loudly over her shoulder. Shireen jumped out of her thoughts, turning to find Beth reaching for her phone. “He's cute. Are you stalking him for a reason?”

Shireen's mouth dropped open, and she snagged her phone away. “I'm not stalking him!” she said quickly. “He's from high school. You know, Rickon Stark? His team's coming to play at Winterfell.”

Beth thought about it for a while, slouching in her seat across from her. “Stark, like... Robb Stark's younger brother?” she asked. “Because Robb was _fine_.”

Rolling her eyes, Shireen tried to ignore Beth's comment. “Yeah, Robb's youngest brother,” she said offhandedly. “I thought it might be nice to go see him play.”

That immediately caught Beth's attention. She put down her glass of wine and scooted closer to Shireen, leaning onto her shoulder. “Oh, really?” she asked. “Are you also going to tell me of your long-repressed crush on him? Oh my god. Are you going to go and confess your feelings for him? Does he like you back?”

“Okay, Beth,” Shireen said firmly, sliding her chair away. “You need to stop. We do not live in a chick flick. I am not the main character of a young adult novel. And this is not fanfiction that you're reading.”

Beth pouted at her, reaching across the table for her wine. “It definitely could be,” she pointed out. “Nothing's stopping me from writing it.”

Shireen snorted, getting up from her seat. She started heading back to her room, thinking that her feet were getting too cold, and she was far too sober to be having this conversation. “I will if I need to.”

Shutting the door behind her, Shireen tried to think of a way to maneuver her way back into the mound of blankets on her bed. She slowly started crawling into the pile, sliding her laptop away from any possible damage. When she had one leg fully in the mound, her door slammed opened. Shireen yelped, turning quickly and falling off her bed.

“YOU'RE GOING TO THE GAME!” she shouted at Shireen.

“What the fuck, Beth!” Shireen yelled back.

Her door was already closing shut, though, and Shireen slowly got back to her feet. She made for the door, watching Beth look over her shoulder as she hid away in her own room. Beth grinned at her. “I bought us tickets!” she called, kicking her door closed as she sang out, “Going to the football game!”

Sighing loudly, Shireen just closed the door. She firmly reminded herself that going to the football game didn't have to mean anything. She didn't even have to let Rickon know she was there. She didn't need to go say hi to him or anything. It wasn't like he was going to remember her from nearly five years ago anyway. Shireen didn't need to think that going to the football game had anything to do with him. And she definitely didn't have to admit to anyone that she maybe still had a very tiny crush on Rickon Stark.

\--

No matter how many times Shireen told herself that going to the game was inconsequential, she found herself thinking about it more and more as Friday approached. She even started a list of the pros and cons of going, hidden safely in the back of her notebook that she hoped Beth would never find. She had put forth a great amount of effort into making sure Rickon’s name never made it onto the list. After all, her crush on him started and ended in less than a week. It took a grand total of five days for Shireen to convince herself that she shouldn’t have a crush on everyone who was nice to her. The feelings associated with the memories always came back, though. They picked at the back of Shireen’s mind, and it was soon a struggle just to remind her self that she was actually going to the game.

She tried to avoid it in the days leading up to the game, but Beth would hear none of it. And for every excuse Shireen gave, Beth always had a rebuttal prepared.

“It’s going to rain on Friday,” Shireen said.

“I have an umbrella. You have a jacket,” Beth pointed out. “This isn’t a problem.”

“It’s during dinnertime.”

“They sell food at football games.”

“I need to study for my midterm.”

Beth put her book down, giving Shireen a confused look. “Your midterm that is… before the game?”

Shireen paused, looking away. “Yes,” she said slowly.

“Then, we can have fun destressing at the game,” she said. “Or do you really just not want to go?”

Shireen groaned, slumping into her end of the couch. “I don’t even know anything about football!” she said. “I’m going to look like an idiot sitting at the game.”

Beth shrugged. “You cheer nonsense when the ball gets to the end of the field, and groan if the other team takes it away,” Beth suggested. “Or, you do what everyone else does and just follow the spirit squad.”

“I’m supposed to fake my way through cheering at a game when I’m going to watch a friend play?” Shireen questioned.

“ _Friend_?” Beth asked. “Is he a _friend_ now? Not just someone from high school?”

“I’m not going if it rains.”

“You’re going!” Beth countered immediately. “You _have_ to. It’s tomorrow. Come on. Just… get through your midterm, and we can catch a bus to the stadium and party the rest of the night.”

“I’m going to hate it.”

“You’re going to love it.”

\--

Shireen tried to convince herself to hate it. She tried really hard. From the moment Beth dragged her onto a bus grinning the entire time, Shireen pushed down the bubble of excitement that was building in her chest. Drawing her emotions from the weather, Shireen prayed for a downpour. It was already looking worse for wear, but none of her peers were put off by this in the slightest.

As they went, she spotted several fellow students from her school sporting face paint that would be dripping later and clothing that would leave the entire campus ridden with a case of pneumonia. Shireen felt like she was lacking school spirit entirely, even though she was in a hoodie from the student store. Beth continuously nudged her in the side, pointing at things that would be exciting for anyone else from her school. She dutifully followed Beth to the student section, where they found their seats and started feeding off the energy from the crowd.

Beth yelled over the crowd to teach Shireen a few cheers, which she participated in with lackluster enthusiasm. Now, it was mostly out of nerves that she was actually here. This was the last place she ever expected herself to be, and Shireen was entirely overwhelmed at the entire situation. Swallowing her anxiety, Shireen tried to get into the mood of the crowd. Soon, a smile found its way onto her face, and she was screaming with the rest of her peers as the teams ran out onto the field.

So consumed as she was with trying to enjoy herself, Shireen almost forgot her ulterior motive for coming until Beth jabbed her sharply in the ribs. Shireen looked over, blinking excessively to get the water out of her face. Before she looked at whatever Beth was pointing at, Shireen glanced up, seeing that the promised rain was coming and it was starting now. Beth pulled at her arm, pointing out onto the field.

“Number seventeen!” she shouted into Shireen’s ear. “In that nice, sleek grey uniform…”

“Shut up!” Shireen shouted back. Still, she looked over, finding the uniform Beth mentioned.

His helmet was in his hands, and his back was to her, but Shireen found that she definitely remembered the curl of his auburn hair. She smiled, watching him jumping around with his team as the mass of sea green and grey faced off against the white of her own team. She grinned, leaning forward over the chair to try and actually learn the game.

“When does he play?” she asked Beth, never taking her eyes away from Rickon Stark now that she had seen him. “When will he be on the field?”

Beth snorted, looking up as the rain started coming down. “Never, if it gets rained out.”

“Beth!” Shireen turned to her roommate with her eyes wide, trying to silently communicate that this was important information.

Rolling her eyes, Beth joined Shireen in leaning over the railing. “Is he offense or defense?”

Shireen shook her head slightly, narrowing her eyes a bit. “What is that?”

“Oh god,” Beth groaned. She pulled Shireen back with her, so they could sit and watch the game start. “We’ll figure it out just by watching,” Beth assured her. “And then you can go get his number after the game.”

“Beth!”

“What? He’s hot,” Beth said, settling into her seat. She combed her now-damp hair out of her face. “You never mentioned that Rickon Stark grew up _very_ well. So if you don’t get his number, I’m going to.”

Shireen’s mouth dropped open, and Beth simply shrugged. After a while, Shireen figured out that Beth wasn’t going to say anything else on the topic, so Shireen sat back and tried to learn the game just by watching. When nothing was making sense to her, Shireen went back to Beth’s side to make her explain the game. Beth was a little annoyed at Shireen’s lack of knowledge on the sport, but she answered the questions, though she was a little short with Shireen.

By the time the game was really getting on, Beth stopped answering Shireen’s questions all together. Shireen couldn’t even get a response from her roommate, even though nothing seemed to be happening on the field other than how much more wet and muddy it got. She _had_ enjoyed watching the game, and it was nice to see Rickon run with the ball and score, but the lack of responses from her roommate was really starting to get to her. In addition to that, Shireen was starting to feel a bubble of energy building up in her despite how it was really starting to pour.

Because Beth wasn’t responding to her, Shireen decided that she could maybe allow herself one impulsive action today. She knew that she had spent the entirety of the game just following Rickon across and around the field, regardless of whether he was actually playing or had the ball. Finally, she just stood up, nearly slipping on the slick metal of the stadium seats. Beth looked up as she stumbled, combing her hair back again.

“Where’re you going?” she called, watching Shireen retreat.

Shireen shrugged, struggling to get to the stairs. “I’m going to go say hi,” she said.

“You can’t go _now_ ,” Beth protested.

“Why not?” Shireen called back, continuing to walk away. She was already soaked through with rain, freezing, and she still didn’t know anything about football. It was now in her best interests to just say hi and head back to the warm comfort of her apartment.

“It’s halftime!” Beth jogged a bit to catch up to her, nearly falling again. “They’re about to start playing again!”

Shireen shrugged. “He didn’t even play at the beginning of the last one,” she said, stepping carefully down the stairs so she could comfortably walk around to where his team was. “It’ll be fast.”

“His team is going to have the ball!” Beth yelled. “You can’t just—Shireen!”

Completely undeterred, Shireen kept going. She walked through the stands, fully aware that the colors around her were becoming less and less white and more green and grey. Even knowing that she stood out, Shireen pressed on, though she made sure not to comb her hair out of her face. The last thing she needed was a group of completely foreign students to start bullying her because of her face. Keeping her head up, Shireen walked the perimeter of the field and looked out for Rickon again.

He was spinning his helmet in his hands, bouncing up on the balls of his feet as someone spoke to him. Shireen gathered up all of her courage, placing herself as close as possible to him. She sucked in a deep breath, leaning over the railing and shouting, “Rickon!”

Beth immediately hushed her, grabbing her arm and pulling her away. “Shireen!” she hissed out. “Seriously! People are staring.”

Ignoring her, Shireen braced herself against the cold metal. She knew she had to compete with the rain and that soon there would also be a crowd to fight. Sucking in a deep breath, Shireen made her voice as loud as possible. “RICKON!”

To her surprise, he stood up straighter. Then, he started looking around. Beth completely froze at her side and her grip went slack on Shireen’s arm. It took a moment, but Shireen gently lifted a hand in a small wave. Rickon tilted his head to the side, lifting a hand in return. Shireen smiled, getting ready to walk away. However, Rickon’s mouth dropped open and he ran up to the stands, climbing the short flight of steps right in front of her.

His hair was completely lank from the water in it, but the weather had absolutely no effect on how he was bubbling over with excitement. “Shireen?” he asked. “Is that you?”

Blinking the water from her eyes, Shireen just nodded.

“Holy fuck,” he breathed out. Rickon reached out, grasping onto her fingers. “ _Wow._ ”

“STARK!” someone yelled from behind him.

Rickon jumped at the noise, turning back to the field. “Shit,” he swore. Then, he turned back to Shireen. “Look, I gotta go—there’s a—I need to—”

“Yes,” Shireen said quickly. “Go—your game.”

Rickon nodded, taking the few steps down. At the bottom, he looked at her. “Stay there!” he called. “I’ll be right back. Well, not _right_ back… I mean, I gotta—”

“STARK!”

“Just go,” Shireen urged, waving him off. She started chewing on her lips, watching him shove his helmet on and run onto the field to meet his teammates. Resolute, Shireen stayed in her spot watching Rickon. He shot a glance her way, turning back to his team with a massive grin on his face. Now, there was no denying that her crush on Rickon Stark had never really gone away.

Even though she no longer had a seat, Shireen stayed leaning against the railing. She didn’t even bother to hide her stupid smile as she watched Rickon play. A few times, he glanced back to her, sometimes turning in his seat entirely to do so. Those times, she would wave, and he occasionally waved back at her. She wasn’t entirely sure when Beth left, but she found a text from her roommate when she checked her phone the next time Rickon ran out onto the field. The rain kept falling, and the game might have been canceled if it wasn’t so close to ending. Still, Shireen’s legs were starting to shake from the cold and use of standing for so long.

Splattered in mud and looking completely weighed down by water, Rickon ran straight up to her when he came off the field, pulling off his helmet and holding out a hand to her. Shireen took it, surprised when he gently tugged her closer.

“Come here,” he said, helping her over the small barrier that kept bystanders off the field. 

Shireen went slowly, worried about falling now that her limbs were out of use and that the rain was falling in sheets now. She stumbled a bit, but Rickon helped her down onto the field and into a seat that was partially covered from the falling rain. Shivering uncontrollably, Shireen settled into the seat and breathed out, “Thanks.”

“Well, you didn’t see how everyone was looking at you,” he said, trying to laugh it off. “I think some of the girls were starting to plot your murder.”

“And whose fault is that?” Shireen asked back.

Rickon grinned at her, lifting his helmet to put back on. “I’ll take the blame as long as you don’t disappear before the game ends,” he told her. “But I think we just got the ball back.”

Shireen nodded, waving him off again. He grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them gently before running back off to the game. From her new vantage point, she couldn’t see as much of the game, but she knew little about the game in the first place. Instead, she relished in the small moments where she could actually see Rickon, which were usually when he came off the field and parted the oddly large crowd to get to her. He didn’t say much, mostly because of the time constraint. A few times, he was pulled away before he got to her, but Shireen figured that she wasn’t supposed to be there anyway. She just watched him mill about with his team, slowly curling up to try to keep her heat in.

When the game ended, she didn’t even know the score. Shireen just watched the team huddle up for a talk, and then they all filed out of the stadium via the tunnel she was settled in. A few of the football players shot her odd looks, but Shireen just hoped her sweater that revealed she was from the opposing school was hidden. Luckily, Rickon quickly moved in front of her, crouching down.

“Um, I gotta change and stuff,” he said quickly. “But I’ll be fast, I promise. Five minutes, okay?”

Shireen nodded, finally brushing her hair away. Rickon ran off after his team, disappearing as the crowd started doing the same thing. The rain didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon, but Shireen was already chilled to the bone. She started wringing out her hair in chunks, hoping to relieve some of the cold. It didn’t help much, but it did keep her busy until Rickon returned. Someone followed after him, carrying two duffel bags, and Rickon gave him a wave before returning to Shireen’s side.

“Here,” he said, holding out a new hoodie to her. “You look like you’re freezing.”

“B-b-but y-you’ll get cold,” Shireen stammered out through shaking teeth.

Rickon laughed, pushing the sweater into her hands. “You’re already freezing,” he said. “I’ll be fine.”

Trembling, Shireen took the sweater from Rickon. She carefully stripped off her entirely soaking hoodie to replace it with his. Even though it wasn’t particularly warm, it was dry and for that she was thankful. She pulled her hair free, looking over to Rickon, who was chewing on his lip.

“So,” she said slowly, unfolding her legs to turn to him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, I wanted to ask if I could buy you dinner,” Rickon said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I just didn’t really have the time to ask you properly during the game.”

Shireen gave him a confused look, leaning back to look at him better. “Why do you want to ask _me_?” she asked.

Rickon’s face flushed, and he looked away before looking at her through his eyelashes. “It would really make my fourteen-year-old self happy,” he confessed. “And, you know, just me.”

“Do you maybe want to explain that?” Shireen asked.

“Can I do it over some burgers?” Rickon asked with a smile.

Grinning, Shireen nodded. She grabbed onto Rickon’s offered hand, and he grabbed onto her ruined sweater as he pulled them out to an exit. He quickly pulled them past the gathering crowd of students trying to get back to their respective schools. As they went by, they got a lot of lingering looks from both groups of students, and Shireen walked closer to Rickon’s side to ignore them.

“Um, don’t you have to go back to school?” she asked.

“By Monday,” Rickon replied, shrugging lightly. “I told my coach that I was going to spend the weekend with my family, which I will. It’ll just be starting tomorrow.”

“Wait, didn’t your family come to the game?” Shireen asked.

“Yup,” Rickon said quickly. “I told _them_ that I was going out with my team for dinner.”

Shireen giggled, stepping away just slightly. “Didn’t want to tell them about me?”

Rickon paused, nearly tripping over his own feet. “Uh… I didn’t want to have to tell them if you said no,” he said, faking a laugh. “Just… that would have been embarrassing.”

“You thought I’d say no?” Shireen asked. “Even when I came to this game I know nothing about? I don’t even know who won.”

Rickon laughed loudly, helping her across the street in the rain and into a small restaurant. He turned to her quickly. “You won,” he said simply. “But, uh, I’ve thought you’d say no since I was fourteen.” He turned to the host. “Table for two, please?”

Shireen pulled him back as the host went off, making him face her completely. “You wanted to ask me when we were in high school?”

Rickon nodded, trying to turn away again.

“Why?” Shireen blurted out. She was well-aware of how she was in high school, particularly when Rickon would have known her. Other than the fact that she never thought she was that attractive, she didn’t really see any other appeal.

“Uh.” Rickon stalled, and Shireen almost suspected that he summoned a waiter to take them to a table. But she gave him a significant look once they were seated. He fiddled with the menu, sliding it around the table before he finally met her eyes again. “Well, the team tried to convince me that it would never happen. So I just… I wanted to prove them wrong.”

“And… ask me out?”

“Yeah,” Rickon said, leaning back a bit. “Didn’t really manage it, though.”

Shireen opened up the menu slowly, giving him a suspicious look. “Why not?”

Rickon scoffed, picking at the table. “It was super intimidating,” he said. “Just let the crazy freshman ask the valedictorian and captain of _every_ club on campus on a date. Yeah, that’ll go over well.”

“You could’ve,” Shireen pointed out.

“I obviously couldn’t,” Rickon shot back. “I almost didn’t manage to do it today either. But… I mean, when am I ever going to see you again?”

Shireen shrugged, putting her attention back into the menu. “Whenever you want,” she mumbled out. It was soft enough that he might not have noticed, but Shireen caught the ghost of a smile on his face while they lapsed into silence and ordered food. While she suspected that things might get awkward, Rickon’s constant staring and smiling was more than encouraging. 

“So since high school?” Shireen asked, making Rickon's smile spread wider as he nodded. “Your freshman year? Those other girls you dated weren’t distracting enough… that cheerleader and girl from the marching band?”

Rickon smirked and leaned forward. “You wanna tell me how you know who I was dating in my junior year of high school?”

Shireen shrugged, grabbing onto her water glass and taking a drink. “We’re friends on Facebook,” she said casually. “It pops up.”

“Are you lying?” he asked, leaning forward some more.

Shireen felt her face going hot, and she tried to look away. “Well, that crush your freshman year was mutual,” she said.

Rickon grinned. “And what about my crush now?”

Luckily, their server returned with their food, saving her from answering immediately. The silly, inquiring look didn’t leave Rickon’s face. Shireen paused before digging into her food. She fiddled with her silverware before looking back at Rickon. “Well, I still don’t know anything about football. I sat through the entire game. _And_ I suffered through death stares from your entire female audience for half a game,” she listed off. Then, she grabbed her burger. “So you tell me.”

As she started eating, Rickon’s grin somehow managed to spread even wider. He gave them a few minutes just to eat, but he kept sneaking her glances the entire time. Shireen tried to keep herself composed, even though Rickon’s obviously enamored gaze didn’t lessen. Soon, she was smiling just as much as he was, even though she felt entire silly for being in this situation to begin with.

During a pause, Shireen cleaned off her hands and fanned her face. “Isn’t this ridiculous?” she asked. “Like… this—how did this happen?”

Rickon shrugged, licking his fingers clean. “I mean, I’m not going to throw anymore doubt into it,” he said. “I’m just going to enjoy it for as long as I can.”

“Are you enjoying it?” Shireen asked.

“Would you believe me if I said yes?”

Biting her lip, Shireen nodded. With big smiles, they finished up their meal. Shireen was again surprised at the ease of the conversation. She didn’t have to force any of the smiles or laughter, and there was no doubt in her mind that Rickon was enjoying himself just as much. They went about the conversation in an odd order, as far as Shireen was concerned. Rickon asked about her opinions regarding certain animals, movies, television shows, and music before he bothered to find out what she was studying. 

“Art History at the University of Winterfell?” Rickon asked, nodding his head appreciatively. “Impressive.”

“Not as impressive as the freshman football star studying…?” Shireen led, hoping he’d fill in the blank.

Rickon coughed, distracting himself with a drink. “Uh, you are not going to believe me.”

“Why not?” Shireen asked, crossing her arms at him.

Rickon stared her down, licking his lips slowly. “Physics.”

Shireen grinned. “Are you trying to go to space?”

“Obviously.” Rickon laughed, throwing his head back before looking back at her with a shy smile. He leaned onto a fist as he slowly ate through the rest of his fries.

“So, not to tease,” Shireen started, trying to seem offhand about it. “But how does it feel to be a unicorn?”

“We’re actually narwhals,” Rickon corrected. “Which is _significantly_ better.”

“It’s still technically a unicorn,” Shireen said, nudging the remainder of her fries closer to him.

Rickon shrugged, taking a few of her fries. “I will never hear the end of it from my family,” he said. “I’m gonna have to get into grad school at Triple-U just to shut them up.”

“Grad School?” Shireen asked, genuinely surprised now. “Really?”

“Well, it’ll probably help me get to space,” Rickon said.

Shireen laughed. “I still can’t believe that I’m more direwolf than a Stark,” she teased. “There’s gotta be some kind of prize for that.”

“You don’t have the name, honey,” Rickon shot back.

Biting her tongue from the obvious retort, Shireen went back to draining her drink. She didn’t need to play into this any more than necessary, especially when this was only their first date. It was _way_ too soon to be joking about taking his last name. Still, she could feel it picking at her, and she knew from the way Rickon was looking at her that he was thinking the same thing. Pursing her lips, she tossed a fry at him. Rickon opened his mouth to catch it, raising a fist in victory when he did so. Giggling, Shireen let the conversation move back to safer territory as they finished up.

They left the restaurant together, idling under the eaves as protection from the rain. The water was still coming down in sheets, and it looked like there was no way to get anywhere without instantly becoming soaked. Shireen turned to Rickon, finding him staring down at her hand and trying to reach out for her fingers.

“So are you heading home?” she asked, making him jump.

Rickon’s face went red, and he took a small step away. “Uh, not back to my parents’,” he said. “I’ll probably just call someone and crash on their couch for tonight.”

Slowly, Shireen grabbed onto his hand and laced their fingers together. She opened her mouth, but didn’t talk for a minute. “If… um, not as like a… you could… _yikes_ ,” Shireen started poorly. She took a deep breath before she took a leap of faith. “There’s a couch at my place, if you want it.”

Kneading his thumb into her knuckles, Rickon tugged her closer. “I don’t want to make you nervous,” he said, lifting her hand and kissing her fingers. “I don’t have to.”

“Well,” Shireen said slowly. She slowly started pulling him further out into the rain, making for her apartment. “I’d like it… But… the couch is kind of uncomfortable… And I don’t have any extra blankets.”

“I can survive,” Rickon muttered, stepping closer to her side.

Shireen leaned her head onto his shoulder, and Rickon suddenly stopped walking. She looked up at him, turning around.

“Is it—” he cut himself off, shaking his head roughly. Water went flying everywhere, and he slung an arm over her shoulders before he gestured for her to keep walking.

Shireen didn’t question it, but the level of comfort he had around her was almost infectious. Before she could stop herself, Shireen wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping him close. They walked back to her apartment where the lights were off. Shireen prayed that Beth was asleep and not waiting around for her. She quickly led Rickon through the small apartment and into her room, making sure all the doors were locked behind them.

“Uh, not that I’m complaining,” Rickon whispered softly. “But wasn’t I going to stay on your couch?”

“It’s cold out there,” Shireen said dismissively. She shivered a bit as the wetness from her clothes soaked into her skin, but she tried to ignore it. Instead, she went to dig through her clothes, finding her own pajamas and the largest set of sweats she owned. She slowly walked them over to Rickon. “They might not fit you right, but they’re dry,” she said through chattering teeth. “And you can… just take my bed. I really don’t have any extra blankets.”

Rickon blinked at her, pushing the clothes down. “Look,” he said, keeping his voice down. “I will stay wherever you want me to, but you need to get warm.”

“I-I’m fine,” she said, walking over and pulling her blankets down.

“Honey,” Rickon said gently, making her heart jump. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Go… get warm. Take a shower. I’ll be here when you’re finished.”

Shireen nodded. “Okay,” she mumbled. She slowly made her way over to the shower. “I’ll just… yeah…”

She disappeared into her bathroom, leaning against the door and trying to gather her thoughts. Her one impulsive action for today had turned into several. She was just supposed to say hi. She wasn’t supposed to go on a date with Rickon, and she definitely wasn’t supposed to invite him back to her place. She’d be lucky if he was still clothed when she got out, especially given how forward she was being. Swallowing down her fear, Shireen convinced herself that she could ask him to leave when she got out. It seemed like he wouldn’t mind.

Stepping into the hot water, Shireen let herself get heated completely through. She quickly washed her hair before leaving the shower, drying off quickly and putting on her pajamas. Steeling herself, she turned off the lights and slowly walked out into the room.

Rickon was wearing her sweats, sitting on the edge of her bed. Only outside lights from a streetlamp illuminated the room, but she could tell that her clothes definitely didn’t fit him. He smiled at her anyway. Stepping forward slowly, Shireen hugged herself as she got closer to him. Rickon’s smile dropped a bit, and he stood up.

“Are you okay?” he asked, opening his arms slightly. “Are you still cold?”

“No, I just…” Shireen shook her head. She stepped into his arms, pressing her nose against his chest. “How are you real?”

Rickon hugged her tightly, stroking her back in large, slow circles. “I don’t think you realize just how serious I was about everything,” he murmured out. “I just—I want you to feel safe.”

Shireen smiled against his chest, squeezing him back. “Then… do you want to share my bed?”

“Well, it will be warmer,” Rickon said, smiling at her. He slowly walked her to her bed, climbing on first and trapping himself against the wall. Scooting over as much as possible, Rickon slipped his feet between the top sheet and the heavy blanket—ensuring that they’d be separate for the night—before he opened up his arms to invite her in.

A massive feeling of warmth settled into Shireen’s stomach. She went into her bed, pulling Rickon away from the dangers of the edge of her bed. Rickon’s smile never faded, and Shireen just wondered at how her life could have possibly brought her here.

“This is real life, right?” Rickon whispered, messing with her fingers through the sheet.

Shireen smiled softly. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

Rickon shook his head, pressing his nose into her hair. “It kind of feels like a dream.”

Summoning up all her courage, Shireen stretched up as much as she could to press a chaste kiss to his lips. She pulled back quickly, hoping that she hadn’t overstepped. “What about now?” she mumbled.

Rickon looked down at her, lifting a hand to press against her cheek. Shireen bit her tongue to stop herself from recoiling. He was holding the scars of her face in his hand, but he was only staring into her eyes. “Well, now, it’s the best dream I’ve ever had,” he said. “And I’d very much like further confirmation that it’s real.”

“How would I manage that?” Shireen asked, incapable of stopping the smile from appearing on her face.

“I think another kiss might do it,” Rickon responded cheekily.

Shireen grinned at him. Swallowing down all of her fear, Shireen braced herself by grabbing onto his waist. Then, she stretched up again to bring their lips together. This time, Rickon didn’t let the kiss break when she slumped down slightly. He moved with her, keeping the seal of their mouths unbroken. Lifting her chin, Shireen parted her lips, thinking that this was the last position she wanted to be forward in, but she wasn’t about to let it go. Rickon moaned against her mouth, sliding his hand back to dip into her hair. He held her to him, dropping his jaw and flicking his tongue against her lips. Feeling utterly breathless and far too warm, Shireen threw all caution to the wind. She slid her arm up his back, grasped onto his shoulder, and sought out his tongue with hers.

It was bliss. More than anything Shireen could have anticipated, even with the years of trying to forget she ever had a crush on Rickon, there was nothing that could compare to this singular moment. The four years that had been building up to this, the incredible way the world came together in such a way to make this a possibility was almost unthinkable. Even with his tongue in her mouth, Shireen couldn’t quite believe that this was her reality.

She pressed into him more and more until Rickon had to push her back in increments. He somehow managed to separate them, pecking her lips and then kissing her nose. Rickon slumped into the pillow, idly rubbing his hand against the side of her neck. Taking a deep breath, Shireen looked into his eyes. His smile looked so genuine, Shireen felt like she was lost.

“Definitely better than I imagined,” Rickon mumbled, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. “Damn.”

“So do you think you can get to sleep after that?” Shireen asked, reaching up to fiddle up with his hair.

Rickon shook his head, his smile growing bigger. “I’m not likely to sleep at all,” he said. “Not when all my dreams are coming true.”

Shireen scoffed, scooting lower into her bed. “Keep it in your pants, Stark,” she muttered, making him shake with laughter. “I don’t want to be a one night stand.”

He sobered at quickly at that, reaching up to stroke her hair back. “Oh no,” he whispered. “ _No_ , Shireen… I want to _date_ you.”

Recoiling, Shireen looked up at Rickon. “What?”

“Yeah, I know,” he murmured, slumping down again. “Still a freshman chasing after my high school crush, going to a school miles and miles away… it’s a relationship doomed to fail, but _gods_ do I want to date you.”

Shireen shook her head, not quite ready to believe it. After all, her life was the last she expected to fall together in a relatively simple matter. She was convinced that there was no way she suddenly fell into the plot of a romance novel, but there was no way to deny that Rickon Stark was in her bed with his arms wrapped around her. Even with her brain buzzing, Shireen pushed the thoughts away, settling into Rickon’s chest and falling asleep. 

While she expected her sleep to be entirely devoid of the contents of the day, Shireen was acutely aware of Rickon’s presence as she slept. He somehow managed to get into her dreams, and she knew precisely when he was moving as he slept, given how he was securely wrapped around her. He didn’t move often, but she felt every movement he made to pull her closer.

When the early hours of the morning started creeping up on them, Shireen realized that their clothes from the previous night were likely still soaked entirely through. Stifling her groan, Shireen shuffled out of bed and went about her room to retrieve everything that was still wet. Rickon groaned from behind her, rubbing his eyes.

“Where are you going?” he mumbled, yawning.

“Bathroom,” Shireen said dismissively. Then, she lifted the pile of laundry higher in her arms. “And laundry.”

Rickon made a small sound, rolling onto his stomach. “Well, be quick,” he said. “It’s cold.”

Shireen gave him a smile before following through on both her statements. She left the clothes in a dryer, thinking that she’d love to wear them the instant they came out. Then, she quickly went back to her room, glad that she hadn’t crashed into her roommate so early. Rickon looked marginally more awake, even though he was still in her bed. He opened his arms again, immediately heating her up and covering her in a blanket. Burying his nose in her neck, Rickon hummed softly.

“Much better,” he whispered, stretching over to peck her on the lips.

Recoiling slightly, Shireen furrowed her brow at Rickon. “Um, why is your breath all minty?” she asked.

Chuckling, Rickon stroked a hand through her hair. “I _definitely_ stole some of your mouthwash while you were away,” he said. “Because I wanted to kiss you again… _and_ … maybe… ask you to be my girlfriend? Even though… it’s a fucking bad decision… I just really want to.”

Shireen swallowed, trying to read his expression. Other than the sheepish smile on his face, there was nothing but optimism in his eyes. Her heart skipped at the way he looked at her, and Shireen curled her toes before leaning into him. “It’s a bad decision,” she repeated back at him. “But, um, I’d like to kiss you again, too.”

Rickon let out a small groan. “ _That’s_ a bad decision, too?” he said, rolling his eyes. “Well, I’m just full of them.”

He pulled her close in one quick motion, stopping just before they could actually kiss. Then, he smiled at her and reached for her ears, gently rubbing them. Shireen felt her eyelids threatening to flutter, so she stopped staring at his mouth and lunged forward to kiss him. Rickon sighed into her mouth and Shireen nipped at his lips until he opened his mouth again. Again, the heat of the moment spread throughout Shireen’s body, and she felt like she was melting into him. She dragged a hand through his hair, gripping into it and pushing him even closer.

Shireen didn’t know how long they spent kissing, and she honestly didn’t care. For all she knew, it could have been the remainder of the day or the remainder of her life. Either way, she felt herself getting far too accustomed to having him pressed against her. Even when their kiss started slowing down, Shireen was only reminded that he’d have to leave soon.

Rickon pushed her under his chin, hugging her tightly before kissing her hair. “I gotta graduate faster,” he mumbled out.

“Why?” Shireen whispered, staring at his chest.

He brushed his hands through her hair, moving away so he could see her properly. “So I can ask you out on more dates,” he said, smirking. “And _really_ ask you to be my girlfriend.”

Shireen blinked, looking down at her hands. “Was it not real before?”

Rickon visibly swallowed. “Was the answer yes?”

“Yes,” Shireen whispered.

Rickon’s mouth dropped open, and he looked completely dumbfounded. “Are you serious?”

“Wow, Stark,” Shireen muttered. She tossed off the blanket, leaned forward to kiss him quickly, and made her way out of bed. “I can’t even call you my boyfriend if you’re never going to believe me.”

Winking at him, Shireen left him staring after her as she went to retrieve their clothes. As expected, they were seeping through with heat, so Shireen grabbed a sweater and quickly pulled it on over her head. With a huge smile on her face, Shireen walked back into her room with the clean laundry in her arms. Rickon grinned at her, quickly pushing away the clothes she brought back. He sat up and moved her between his knees, craning his neck to try and kiss her again.

“You put on my sweater,” he mumbled.

“It’s _my_ sweater,” Shireen told him, sliding her arms around his neck.

His hands fell to her hips, and he pressed his nose against her chin. “Then, are you _my_ girlfriend?” he asked back.

Shireen leaned down to kiss him soundly, humming into his mouth. “You tell me.”

“Oh, definitely yes,” Rickon mumbled into her mouth.

Ending the kiss, Shireen pulled away. “Good,” she said. “Then, you better change, and find a way to date me from Skagos.”

Again, Shireen left him on her bed. However, this time, Rickon was smiling after her, sorting through the pile of warm clothes. Shireen smiled to herself as she wandered into the living room. Sighing, she turned to the kitchen slowly.

“So you got his sweater?”

Shireen jumped away, turning to glare at her roommate. “You scared the shit out of me,” she hissed out. Breathing hard, Shireen pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh my god, Beth.”

“A sweater… _and_ his number?” Beth asked.

“I’m going to kill you,” Shireen muttered, walking past Beth to dig through the refrigerator.

Beth scoffed. “I’ve been waiting for details, Shireen!” she said. “You owe me something. What even happened?”

Shireen shrugged, trying to play at casual and thinking overtime to figure out a way to sneak Rickon out past Beth. “Nothing really,” she said. “We talked some, but he’s spending the weekend with his parents.”

Beth slumped down, leaning onto the counter. “That’s it?” she said. “After all that, you didn’t even get his number?”

“Well, we’re still going to talk,” she said. “Why don’t we go out for lunch and I’ll tell you about it?”

Beth smiled, nodding slowly. Shireen knew she was only moments away from heading back to her room. A door clicked open from the hall.

“Oh, hey, Beth,” Rickon greeted, coming around the corner.

Opening her eyes wide, Beth looked far too excited about turning around.

Shireen sighed, dropping her head in her hands. “Fuck.”


End file.
